A Gut Feeling: How Prebiotics and Probiotics can make your day better
By Paul Ladewig RDN, MPS
We have been hearing so much about gut health and probiotics in the last few years that it is no surprise that our residents and their families are starting to request it in our buildings. But what are they and how can we use them the best? Let’s look first at what prebiotics are. Prebiotics are foods that have soluble and insoluble fibers that may contribute to gut health. They must be a source that isn’t easily digested in the digestive system and can bypass it so they can sit in the colon and become fuel for good bacteria which helps form a good gut microbiome. Some amazing sources are: boiled and chilled potatoes, green asparagus, barley, oats, rice beans, legumes, asparagus, dandelion greens, garlic, sunchokes, leeks, onions, soybeans, wild yams, apples, apricots, carrots, green beans, peaches, raspberries and tomatoes.
These amazing Ingredients can help regulate our bowel movements, help regulate our moods because they produce neurotransmitters that travel between our gut and brain and stimulate our body to make hormones that aid in satiation. They also contribute to overall Immune system health. While fueling good bacteria they help decrease unhealthy gut bacteria. It doesn’t seem hard to make sure we are getting plenty of prebiotics. Most of us use at least half of those ingredients on a regular basis. So how do they help fuel the good bacteria and how can we lose our gut bacteria like many of the articles seem to imply?
Good Bacteria maintain a healthy balance in your body and along with other microorganisms make up your microbiome. Probiotics are foods that contain good bacteria that can help maintain the right number of good bacteria in your system. One important reason for maintaining the right amount in your gut microbiome is that bad bacteria is kept away or in low numbers because of the existence of the good bacteria. So how do we make sure we get enough?
The two most common probiotic bacteria that are beneficial are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. These can be found in a lot of foods that we already eat but it’s good to know if we find ourselves depleted. Here are some of the most common ones: yogurt, buttermilk, sourdough bread, cottage cheese, kombucha, tempeh, fermented pickles, fermented sauerkraut, kimchi, and miso soup. Basically, anything that is fermented will likely have Lactobacillus bacteria. One important distinction that can be noted is that an average pickle, although delicious and healthy in its own right, will not be considered a probiotic. Sauerkraut and any pickles must be fermented to be beneficial to the gut.
Enjoying foods from other cultures that include both pro and prebiotics in the meal can help build up our system. For instance, many recipes in Indian cuisine include yams or squash and yogurt dipping sauces. Perhaps we could take these ideas and adjust the seasonings to fit our own tastes. Let’s get creative and make our meals even healthier and get in a better mood while doing it.
